Chef Profiles

 

Chef Andrew McNaughton:

Chef Andrew is a graduate of the prestigious Stratford Chef School. He shares a love of cooking and experimenting as well as understanding the potential food has to offer. Andrew seeks local and seasonal ingredients, this is where he finds his inspiration. Chef Andrew is creative and passionate about food. His eye for detail comes out when admiring his beautiful, thoughtful courses.

 

Chef Paresh Thakkar:

Chef Paresh Thakkar is the owner of Personal Touch Eatery & Catering. He opened the business in 2011 after completing the Culinary Management program at Fanshawe College and working at restaurants/catering business in London, Sarnia and Canmore, AB. Personal Touch is located at 144 Mitton St. South in Sarnia, Ontario and is (currently) open Tuesday to Friday, 11-5:30. 

The eatery’s menu includes eclectic sandwiches, a themed entrée, and ever changing soups, salads, and dips. "It’s fun to create different flavours and to change it up". Features are inspired based on what Chef Paresh finds at the farmer’s market. Alongside the Eatery, Paresh offers a variety of catering experiences, from in-home private dinners to weddings, cooking classes and more. He doesn’t have set menus as he loves to create a unique experience each time. Operating Personal Touch gives him the creative freedom to cook unique dishes with global flavours.

Chef Paresh had the opportunity to compete on Chopped Canada on the Food Network in 2016. He was able to rally the community together for a watch party raising money for 3 local charities. 

 

Chef Joe Paquette:

Chef Joe has had 20 plus years of experience in the food industry, and he graduated from Stratford Chef School.  Chef Joe is currently the owner/operator of Joe Paquette Catering (local to the area) and teaches at Lambton college in the Culinary program. Chef Joe Paquette specializes in weddings, house parties, and cooking classes and LOVES to customize menus to meet each clients needs.

 

Chef Steve Hunter:

Steve Hunter worked as a Chef starting with his work in line kitchens in the early 2000s. He went on to attend Humber College and followed into an apprenticeship working in Banff, Vancouver, and Montreal.

After years of training in kitchens across Canada, he moved over to Australia and worked as a Chef de Parti on the Sunshine Coast and in Sydney. After an initial couple of years overseas, he decided to step out of kitchens and move around as a full-time backpacker. Since then, he's managed to cross nearly 90 countries hitch-hiking and walking, exploring cultural hospitality through many incredible hosts.

Having worked in Spain and walked the Camino de Santiago six weeks across the northwestern part of the country, he was able to learn quite a bit about the food culture in the country.